The Celtics have had a somewhat similar core ever since Kyrie Irving left in 2019, yet this year still feels like a new era of Celtics basketball. For much of their careers, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had trouble in the final moments of games, receiving labels as chokers for their repeated playoff shortcomings. Obviously, this team still has to finish the job. However, I think this is the most clutch we have seen Tatum and Brown play in their careers, and the most clutch the Celtics have played in a long time. Not 1, not 2, but 3 games of this Eastern Conference Finals sweep were won in the final minutes. In Game 1, it was the game-tying corner three by Brown to send it to OT, where Tatum finished the job with a three of his own. In Game 3, it was an iconic pass from Tatum to Al Horford that Brown claimed should be “hung in the Louvre”, followed by a crucial steal by Jrue Holiday in the final seconds. In Game 4, while Tatum and Brown’s heroics allowed the Celtics to climb back from a 9-point deficit, it was Derrick White that put the final dagger in. You also cannot forget the dominant victory in Game 2. Despite a night in which Jayson Tatum was shooting at a less than stellar rate, the Celtics won comfortably, thanks in large part to a Jaylen Brown 40-bomb. All 5 starters contributed to clutch moments in this series, and it was all while Horford was filling in for star big man Kristaps Porzingis.

So what brought the Celtics from their volatility and “live or die by the three” tendencies of 2022-23 to their thrilling success thus far in 2023-24? I feel it was a combination of growth from head coach Joe Mazzulla, the impact of their scoring big in Porzingis (even though he wasn’t there to contribute in the ECF), and the veteran presence of Jrue Holiday.

When Mazzulla first became head coach in 2022, he was sort of thrown into the fire. He was paired with egos that he didn’t know how to control, particularly Marcus Smart and Grant Williams. In addition, he didn’t have the chance to build a staff of his own. I don’t think the “live or die by the three” era was entirely his fault. Mazzulla inherited a roster of players who were seemingly talented enough to get the job done on their own, and he didn’t exactly have the time in the offseason to build bonds (at least as head coach) with his players. I feel that he sort of took a hands off approach in his first year. As a result, you had a team that was indeed very talented but had its flaws. Players constantly bricked up threes that fans wondered why they even took. This was especially true of Smart and Williams, who weren’t anywhere near the three-point shooter someone like Tatum is. In addition, I think Smart’s role as the “heart and soul of the team” held back Tatum and Brown as leaders and stole the spotlight away.

After the ECF loss, many in the media were calling on Mazzulla to be fired. Instead, general manager Brad Stevens reaffirmed that he trusted Mazzulla and instead focused on building around him. He added two additional stars in Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday while shedding some depth in Smart, Williams, Robert Williams III and Malcolm Brogdon. He also allowed Mazzulla to build his own staff.

There were some, including myself, concerned about Boston’s bench depth after these moves. However, shedding depth allowed underutilized players like Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard to receive more minutes. Pritchard and Hauser make this team harder to predict, as they can hit an open three any given moment. Getting rid of Smart and Williams, meanwhile, allowed Mazzulla to build bonds with the more coachable players that remained.

The dynamic amongst the players on the roster also changed. The locker room dynamic is now seemingly centered around Tatum and Brown. The toxicity of Williams and Smart has been replaced by the positive influence of Porzingis and Holiday.

Porzingis quickly became close with Brown, and his impact on the court elevates this team to another level. His natural paint presence on both sides of the ball made Mazzulla’s job a whole lot easier, as Porzingis has made this team more consistent and less reliant on the 3-pointer. In games Porzingis plays, the Celtics typically win when shooting well and at least make it close even on their off shooting nights. The only downfall of Porzingis (as it has been most of his career) has been his health.

When Porzingis got hurt, I was concerned for this team. With Porzingis on the floor the Celtics had made a habit of taking care of business against the teams they should beat. Even with light competition in the East, I was concerned that Boston’s inconsistency without Porzingis would hold them back in these playoffs. I feel the influence of Jrue Holiday is part of what has prevented that.

Holiday is a player who very much knows his role on this team. He’s not here to be in the spotlight or be their top scorer. He’s here for his consistent perimeter defense and ability to step up on offense when necessary. In addition, the intensity he brings to games, especially in the final moments, has rubbed off on the rest of this team. Holiday has managed to, without taking spotlight away from Tatum and Brown, help set the tone for them to grow as players. He led Giannis Antetokounmpo to his first ring, and it’s looking possible that he will have a similar effect on the Jays.

The Celtics still have to win the NBA Finals, a feat they fell short of despite making it in 2022. Their doubters will not be silenced until they can take down the champion of a grittier, tougher Western Conference. This Finals matchup may even involve a full circle moment in which Kyrie Irving, whose departure essentially paved the way for this era of Celtics basketball, returns to the Garden to face these Celtics in the Finals. However, I have more confidence than ever this team can do what it takes. The Celtics have looked good on paper throughout the career of the Jays, but this team just feels different. They seem to enjoy each other’s company and mesh on the court more than previous Celtics teams. Everyone knows their role, with Tatum and Brown as all around superstars, Porzingis as the guardian of the paint, Holiday as the defensive tone-setter, and White as a distributor and clutch shot maker. Most importantly, this team has developed a “killer instinct” they simply did not have in 2022 or 2023. I am fairly confident Porzingis will be rested enough by June 6 to not only play, but play close to the level we are used to seeing him at. That should make it even easier than it’s already looked for this Celtics team to win the championship.

It feels like everything has been leading up to this. The Celtics have been waiting for a year in which everything clicked the way it is now, they just have to rise to the occasion. I have talked about for several years a future of the NBA in which Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic would be the faces of the league. Whether it’s Doncic or Anthony Edwards (likely Doncic given Dallas is up 3-0) from the Western Conference side of things, that future is now. Gone are the years of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Kawhi Leonard facing off in every Finals. The time has arrived for Tatum to take the spotlight not just in Boston but across the league, and I feel he’s fully capable of doing so.